Chance Meetings
by Satan Abraham
Summary: Kiyotaka Ishimaru was looking for a book when he ran into Touko Fukawa. [non-despair au] [oneshot] [ishifuka]


Kiyotaka Ishimaru slipped into the bookstore, shivering a little from the cold outside. He needed a book for one of his classes, and after browsing at several second-hand bookshops to no avail, he had finally given in to go to a full-priced store. He did not have much money to spend on books, but apparently this one was so obscure that it was unlikely he'd even be able to find it here, let alone at a second-hand shop. He scowled a little, then glanced at the small coffee shop that had been built into the bookstore.

Maybe…

No, no, if he was buying a book, he should not waste money on overpriced coffee as well.

He shoved his gloves into his pockets and unbuttoned his coat. The store seemed almost unbearably hot after the freezing temperatures outside. He glanced over at the coffee shop and accidentally ran into someone.

He jumped and looked down. He'd knocked down a girl – she looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. He held down his hand. "Are you alright?"

She looked up at him, and her scowl turned into an expression of surprise. "Ishimaru?"

"Ah, yes, I- _Fukawa-kun?"_

It was one of his classmates from high school – Touko Fukawa, a famous author of rather… racy novels. They stayed like that for a few moments, Ishimaru with his hand reached down and Fukawa on the floor.

"May I help you up?" he asked. She opened her mouth, then looked to the side and took his hand, a light blush covering her cheeks. She wasn't wearing a coat or anything – just a dress with a cover-up. "What are you doing here?"

"I had a signing," she muttered. "Not that enough people showed up to make the publishing company happy."

"O-oh," Ishimaru said, not quite sure how to respond. He felt like now would be the time to have a casual talk about how the two of them had been since high school, though it had only been about a year and a half since they had graduated, and, anyway, he wasn't the best at casual conversation. "Well, I really must find a book for one of my classes-"

"You never did like me, did you?" Fukawa asked. "You hate me, just like everyone else."

"That's not true!" Ishimaru said. "You are quite admirable, for having a career from such a young age. Your future is guaranteed-"

"Bullshit," Fukawa said. "In five years nobody's going to want my books."

"I'm sure that's not true," Ishimaru said. "That one about the fisherman is still selling, isn't it?"

Fukawa suddenly looked very interested. "You know what it's about?"

Ishimaru, a bit uncomfortable, nodded. "Of course," he said. He laughed a little. "I must admit… I did have a bit of a crush on you at one point. But, as you can see, that went nowhere. Ha ha!"

She bit down on her thumbnail, glancing over at the little coffee shop. "Do you have time after you find your book?" she asked, muttering around her thumbnail in a way that was eerily reminiscent of high school.

Ishimaru checked his watch. "I have approximately an hour and a half until my next class begins," he said brightly. It was Tuesday. He had quite a long gap in the middle of the day on Tuesdays. Usually he spent that time studying or doing other necessary things.

"Okay," she said. That was all she said.

"Well, I must be finding that book!"

Once he got his book found and paid for, he noticed that Fukawa hadn't moved. She was standing right beside the door, too, so he supposed he should say good-bye.

When he got near her, however, she said something slightly strange. "I have a lot of extra cash right now," she said, glancing from his face to the small coffee shop. "And even though it'll make me more fat than I already am, a coffee sounds really good."

"Then you should treat yourself," Ishimaru said, smiling.

"Do you like coffee?"

"Yes! However, I am running a bit low on money at the moment, and I really should study-" he broke off as he saw the look on her face. He'd disappointed her. Something he'd said… something she'd said… had she wanted him to say that she wasn't fat? Because she wasn't. Maybe he could still save it. "You are not fat."

"Yes I am," she muttered. Her eyes trailed down his body. "You certainly aren't."

"I try to keep fit," Ishimaru said. "A healthy mind does no good if it is attached to an unhealthy body!"

The way she looked at him made him nervous, like it had back in high school during that short time period that he'd had a crush on her. Thankfully, a month or so after the crush had manifested itself was finals, and then he had thrown himself in his studies and erased any crush that he might have ever had.

Well. Theoretically. It seemed to be making a bit of a comeback.

His face heated up as he realized that he'd _told _her about the crush that was making a comeback.

"I would go get a coffee," she said, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear – she still wore the braids, though they were coming out, he noticed. "Except it would look so stupid, me sitting there by myself."

Ishimaru was beginning to suspect something. "Would you…" he started cautiously. "Would you like me to accompany you?"

"You don't want to."

"I would not be averse to doing so-"

"You don't want to hang out with a girl like me-"

"Please," Ishimaru said. "Let us get coffee together."

"I can pay," Fukawa said, voice small. She was blushing. Ishimaru shook his head – though it would be much better for his finances if she paid, he would pay.

"Nonsense!" he proclaimed. He offered her his arm, blushing a little when she took it. "Come, let us have coffee together and engage in a 'normal' conversation!"

* * *

**I never get sick of this pairing.**


End file.
